Friends cast: Jenna Ortega and 5 other actors who can play lead roles if hit sitcom was being remade in 2023

The success of Friends is legendary. It is tough to find anyone who does not describe their personality as one of the characters from Friends, be it a weird Phoebe or a sarcastic Chandler. At this point, this method of character determination is more popular than the MBTI or Myers-Briggs Type Indicator test.

Friends, which first aired in 1994, is centered around six friends who live in Manhattan, New York. The show was a bittersweet, mostly hilarious, and wholesome journey of six friends navigating adult life.

Friends had a massively successful run till 2004, being on air for 10 years. Fans for decades have been waiting for a reboot of some kind to live the magic on screen again. With new and talented actors like Jenna Ortega, Regé-Jean Page, Sydney Sweeney, and many more, it would have great potential for a favorable outcome.

Disclaimer: This article reflects the author's views on the subject.

Friends cast reimagined with Sydney Sweeney, Timothée Chalamet, and four more actors

1) Jenna Ortega as Phoebe

Jenna Ortega (Image via Jenna Ortega/Instagram)

Lisa Kudrow brought everything she had into the role of Phoebe in Friends as a comedic actor. It is hard for anyone to replace her as Phoebe in the series. However, the audience might slowly see the possibility once they try to picture Jenna Ortega in the role.

She recently took the internet and Hollywood by storm as Wednesday Addams in the Tim Burton TV show, Wednesday. Her character was quirky, out of the box, and did not fit in with the world. No matter how she portrayed herself, she had a heart of gold and was the saving grace of the Nevermore school and its students.

Jenna Ortega has done many acclaimed movies and TV shows like Scream (2022), Jane The Virgin, X, and Yes Day. She even had a small role in Iron Man 3 of MCU. With Wednesday and her past successes in mind, she would fit perfectly into the role of the idiosyncratic, weird, and funny Phoebe of Friends.

2) Millie Bobby Brown as Monica

Courtney Cox's Monica has made the audience laugh and cry with her in Friends. Taking up her mantle forward would be a pretty difficult challenge. However, Millie Bobby Brown might be up for the fight.

If there was a reboot, there would be no one else better to play Monica to perfection than Millie Bobby Brown. The 19-year-old actress is a powerhouse and has already done highly successful movies and TV shows like Stranger Things and Enola Holmes.

Millie Bobby Brown, as Enola Holmes, had an analytical mind. As Holmes, Millie played a character who can be serious as well as funny and childish when she wants to be, making her the perfect choice to play Monica from Friends. Monica might seem a bit uptight, but she knows how to have fun and has a similar logical mindset. This is a match made in heaven.

3) Dev Patel as Ross

David Schwimmer’s portrayal of the classic sad divorced guy Ross with a ridiculous life is done right to the T. But if there were ever a Friends remake, Dev Patel might be the perfect one to scream the difference between “your” and “you’re.”

Dev Patel has already played the tortured lover character in all its damaged glory. Nominee and winner of the prestigious Academy Awards, Dev's brooding and good looks with long hair make him an ideal candidate to be Ross.

He has done many highly admired movies and TV shows like Lion, Slumdog Millionaire, Modern Love, Skins, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, etc., and has a promising future ahead. His being Ross would be a star-crossed decision at this point.

4) Regé-Jean Page as Chandler

Matthew Perry as Chandler in Friends will never not be iconic. He is irreplaceable for his biting sarcasm and will forever be synonymous with the role. However, Regé-Jean Page would come very close to perfection in the role of Chandler in Friends if there ever were a reboot.

Regé-Jean Page has been winning hearts as the Duke in Bridgerton. His smirky smile and sense of humor makes him the perfect sarcastic Chandler of the modern age.

Even before the Bridgerton role, he has proven himself as a seasoned actor time and time again in movies and TV shows like The Gray Man, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Waterloo Road, and Sylvie’s Love. It is only fair to the hard-core fans to give them someone who could do justice to the role, and Regé-Jean Page is the man for that.

5) Timothée Chalamet as Joey

Timothee Chalamet (Image via @iam4nnx28/Twitter)

No one can replace Matt LeBlanc as Joey in our hearts. Timothée Chalamet has proved many times that he is much more than his looks. He has already established himself as a serious actor and would be the perfect combo of beauty and acting talent for the role of Joey.

He has been seen in critically admired movies such as Lady Bird, Dune, Call Me By Your Name, Little Women, etc. The list just goes on and on. The 27-year-old actor would perfectly play the role of a man who had a deal with God never to let him turn 30.

6) Sydney Sweeney as Rachel

Sydney Sweeney (Image via Presley Ann/Getty)

Rachel needs to be someone who is drop-dead gorgeous like Jennifer Aniston but also has the acting charisma to pull off the intrinsic aspect of the character seamlessly. The Euphoria star Sydney Sweeney has the brains and the brawns.

Already acting in big movies and TV shows like The White Lotus, Sharp Objects, Madame Web, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, and The Handmaid’s Tale, she has fierce acting talent. Her breakdown as Cassie in Euphoria was one of the finest moments of her career.

Given a chance, Sydney Sweeney would blend effortlessly into the character and bring it to life. The witty blonde beauty Rachel from Friends would be a perfect fit for her.

No one can replace the original ensemble of Friends Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer, but the show must go on. Although fans will be there for them every step of the way, they will also be excited to see fresh faces playing their favorite characters.

Edited by Shreya Das